Tips for writing college admission essays about your community

I'm working on my college application essay where I have to describe my community. Any advice on how to approach this question and what points I should definitely cover in my essay?

Writing a college essay about your community can be a great way to provide context about your experiences and demonstrate your perspective. Here are a few tips to approach this topic:

1. Identify what community means to you: When you think about your community, what comes to mind? Is it your neighborhood, school, religious institution, or an online group? Understand what community means to you and how it has shaped your identity. Remember, your community does not have to be geographically based.

2. Tell your story through specific examples: Rather than general descriptions, illustrate your observations and thoughts with particular anecdotal evidence which can make your essay compelling and personal. For instance, rather than mentioning how your community values cooperation, you could talk about the annual community clean-up day and how everyone comes together to beautify the neighborhood.

3. Show how you've engaged: Describe your role and contributions to your community. This is a good opportunity to highlight your leadership, initiatives, or how you’ve made a difference and the impact it had on your community.

4. Discuss your learning: Describe the influence your community had on you and what you learned from it. That might be gaining an appreciation for diversity, developing resilience in the face of adversity, or understanding how societal issues affect individuals. Your reflection will demonstrate maturity and personal growth.

5. Link the community experiences to your future goals: How have your experiences within your community built your aspirations or shaped your future goals? You might want to discuss how these experiences will help you contribute to the community of the college to which you're applying. This helps the admissions committee to understand your values and how you would fit in their institution.

Remember, your essay should be unique and personal, telling your story in your voice. It's not about the grandeur of your achievements but rather the sincerity, growth, and self-reflectiveness your writing displays. Happy writing!